Howie, Heidi, Terry, Sofia, and Simon pose together during a taping of AGT: Season 18 (Photo property of NBC)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
America’s Got Talent (AGT): Season 18 is off to an incredible start! Thanks to amazing Golden Buzzer auditions from Mzansi Youth Choir and Putri Ariani, along with standout performances from Mandy Muden, Philip Bowen, Shadow Ace, Steel Panther, and Trigg Watson, Season 18 is shaping up to be its strongest season in years.
Tonight, more hopefuls stepped onto the Pasadena Civic Center’s stage, hoping to win over America. Which acts received four “Yeses” from judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel, and Heidi Klum? Was anyone buzzed out? Did host Terry Crews, Howie, Heidi, or Sofia press the Golden Buzzer tonight? Read on to find out!
59-year-old music teacher John Wines traveled from the UK to compete on AGT. After making painful amp noises, John delivered an incredible guitar solo to Queen’s “We Will Rock You” that would make Dr. Brian May proud. He truly is one of the best rock guitarists I have seen on any Got Talent platform, and it was an audition that would inspire fans of all ages. He received a standing ovation from the entire Pasadena Civic Center audience, who screamed, “We Want More!” Heidi proclaimed him a rock star and declared him “the cutest.” John received the first set of four Yeses for his outstanding guitar playing.
Ventriloquist Brynn Cummings was inspired by Season 12 champion Darci Lynne. If she won, she wanted to follow in Darci’s footsteps by touring and purchasing a bearded dragon. Penelope the Skunk did not want to sing and decided to go with mentalism. Penelope instructed Heidi to cut a deck of cards while Howie picked the 7 of Clubs. I loved this twist of blending ventriloquism and mentalism! Howie and the ladies gave Brynn a standing ovation, and she received the second set of four Yeses!
Singer Roland Abante spoke with host Terry Crews before facing the judges. The performer traveled from the Phillippines to audition and wanted to make his dream come true to perform on the AGT stage. After receiving an encouraging hug from Heidi, Roland performed “When A Man Loves a Woman” and blew the Pasadena Civic Center Auditorium’s roof off! He also gave me the first set of chills of the evening! Roland received the second four-judge standing ovation of the evening and the third set of four Yeses!
Sadly, Alex and Alex’s guitar and harp failed to entertain the judges and received the first four “No’s.” Meanwhile, Ricarrdo Pace traveled from Sicily to perform “A Moment Like This” by hand farting and received a buzz from Simon. Sadly, Howie, Heidi, and (thanks to the audience’s bullying) Sofia voted to advance him to the next round.
When he visited Portugal last year, 28-year-old Ahren Belisle was inspired to pursue stand-up comedy after making the comedians laugh. The audience laughed as he used his iPhone to type out his response, and he used a Text-to-Speech app to communicate with the audience. Ahren revealed that he reveled in the tension between jokes and that his service dog (who was by Terry’s side) would go for the jugular if they mocked him. The engineer’s set included facing the late Stephen Hawking in a race, his nationality (Canadian), and how being French was way worse than having Cerebral Palsy. Ahren had one of the best comedy sets I have seen on AGT in years. He received a standing ovation from all four judges, and Simon predicted that Ahren’s audition would change his life. Sofia added that she wished Ahren would finally be the comedian to win the show. Ahren received four Yeses from the judges!
30-year-old Nashville resident Grace Good got into hula hooping in college and became so obsessed that she moved to Las Vegas. She began busking, and her goal was to audition for AGT. After Simon reminded her that she needed to impress the audience to move on, Grace delivered on that promise and produced an impeccable aerial routine that featured multiple hula hoops and superb stunts. The performance thoroughly impressed me significantly when she performed with fiery hula hoops and fire eating. Grace received four Yeses and a massive ovation from the audience.
I am surprised that 12-year-old Manchester, England native Alfie Andrew decided to skip Britain’s Got Talent to audition for AGT. Before Alfie walked onto the stage, Simon revealed he was considering doing a Kids Got Talent show (which I would be behind). Due to work issues, Alfie’s parents were not able to attend. He sang Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” while he did okay; it was not in the same league as Cristina Rae’s version from AGT: All-Stars. Alfie received a standing ovation, and Sofia predicted that he would be a rock star. After receiving four “Yeses” and an encouraging commentary from Simon Cowell, Alfie called his family with the good news.
Season 15 contestant David “Record Breaker” Rush reunited with Terry Crews and revealed to the judges that he had left his job in tech to inspire and entertain. David requested that Howie join him in breaking the world record for fist bumping. Sadly, the remaining judges pressed all their buzzers as they did it. The Guinness World Records official revealed that the duo broke the world record with 306 fist bumps!
Oleksandr Leshchenko & Foresight Art Group were next to audition. Oleksandr and his wife, Lena, have been married for over ten years, and the duo traveled from Ukraine to audition. John presented one of the best visual auditions I have ever seen in show history. I was in awe by how he timed his movements with outstanding graphics. They also invited their friend, Gustav, who created the graphics, to join their feedback. Heidi loved Oleksandr’s dancing, while Howie admired the trio’s creativity and pursuit of their artistry in a time of strife. They received four yeses, but I wished someone had given them a Golden Buzzer.
33-year-old Herwan Legaillard came from France to showcase his talent to the world. He performed his routine to a haunting cover of Britney Spears’s “Toxic.” The audience started gasping and yelling in terror when Herwan swallowed his sword. Next, he took his sword aerial and performed dangerous stunts above the AGT sign. I was impressed when he added a lightsaber element to his routine, adding excitement to this difficult act. Sofia said that Herwan was Vegas-ready, and Howie called him unique, while Simon proclaimed that it was one of the best auditions this season. Herwan received four “wuis” for his efforts.
Chioma & The Atlanta Drum Academy interacted with Simon Cowell and Terry Crews before auditioning. Despite being a rough start initially, the group delivered a fiery routine worthy of the Las Vegas Raiders halftime show. Do not get me wrong; Chioma and the Atlanta Drum Academy were great. But I wished Terry Crews had selected an act from earlier this evening, such as Herwan and the Foresight Art Group, worthy of the end of the show’s golden confetti shower.
